Aurelia was governed by a massive Administrative Center. To prevent its cultural diversity from descending into a chaotic mess, a strict management system was in place—featuring extensive automated facilities and strict quotas on immigration. That's why Arthur's neighbor, Tinin, had been here for over a year and was still awaiting approval.
Money wasn't an issue for her; the trouble was that she had to report to the Immigration Bureau every few days—otherwise, she'd be banned permanently. But once you became a resident, even fugitives were immune from arrest—provided they could pass the application process.
Geographically, aside from Mount Dauumayu running through the entire northern region, Aurelia was mostly plains. However, the extreme hardness of the bedrock in some areas meant key buildings and facilities were concentrated in the eastern region, arranged in a circular layout. The center served as the urban hub and a major tourist gathering spot—especially the Century Plaza.
Expanding outward in concentric circles were commercial districts, entertainment zones, residential areas, and so on. Since current technology couldn't penetrate the hard bedrock in some peripheral areas, there were no high-rises in the outer residential zones—only bungalows and wooden houses.
Aircraft were prohibited throughout Aurelia. Residents and tourists relied solely on the public transportation system, but there was no need to worry—it was comprehensive and efficient, connecting every corner of the station quickly and conveniently.
Where underground transportation wasn't feasible, ground rail trains were used.
The underground rapid transit system, commonly known as the "Convenient Way" by locals, was a shallow transportation network. More popular and faster than ground rail trains, it operated like a moving walkway on fixed routes, allowing passengers to board and alight at will. For those needing to reach their destination quickly, dedicated route cabins were available—operating at deeper levels. Simply enter the zone number, and the cabin would take you directly there without the need to transfer between walkways at different levels.
Perhaps due to the Market Carnival, the dedicated route to Arthur's residential area was unusually quiet today. Most people were probably crowded at the ground rail stations—since only ground transportation could reach the carnival.
After entering the zone number, Arthur waited for about ten seconds before a white cabin emerged from the darkness. He stepped inside, and heard someone follow closely behind. Before the person's hand could touch his shoulder, Arthur had already seen their reflection in the glass.
He dropped his packages—before the bags of shopping spoils hit the floor—and spun around, grabbing the person's wrist with one hand and slamming their shoulder against the door with the other, just as it slid shut.
Given how fast the cabin traveled, most people preferred not to share it with strangers—even if they were heading to the same destination. This was especially true with the current low number of passengers.
"It's me! It's me, Ralph!" Ralph urged hastily.
Perfect! Arthur had been dying to find him—and here he was, walking right into the trap.
"Talk! What happened to Zack? Why hasn't your communication system responded?"
It was the first time Ralph had experienced Arthur's speed and strength. He couldn't break free, and the pressure on his shoulder joint was growing painful.
"If you don't want the security system to intervene, maybe we can talk this out! I don't think you want that either."
Every area of Aurelia was monitored by a crime intelligence system. Resorting to violence here was extremely unwise—the cabin's security system would subdue the perpetrator without mercy, leaving no chance to escape.
"Oh? Shall we test that?" Arthur grabbed him and slammed him against the door again.
"Don't be ridiculous! That's not an amusement ride! The system has never failed—even against three-meter-tall, brute-force Terraxians... Hey, I don't want to be carried out in embarrassment."
Arthur released his grip, spun Ralph around by the shoulder, and shoved him roughly into a seat, his eyes fixed on him sharply.
"Ralph, I don't know what game you're playing," Arthur's voice dripped with killing intent, making Ralph's heart skip a beat. It was a side of Arthur he'd never seen before—his Adam's apple bobbed nervously. "For old times' sake, I'll give you a chance to explain. If you wanted to get rid of me, you didn't have to make it this complicated."
"Get rid of you? Arthur, wait a minute..."
"Playing dumb?" Arthur grabbed Ralph by the collar, pressing one arm across his throat. "Wasn't that man following me in the plaza sent by you? If I hadn't lost him, he'd probably be here too. Spit it out—I don't have time to waste!"
Ralph's face turned crimson as he struggled to breathe. "Plaza? Oh, that's a huge misunderstanding! I went to your place earlier but couldn't find you. I just ran into Encia on the Convenient Way—she told me where you were! Have you been misunderstanding something?"
"Misunderstanding?" Arthur pressed his arm harder against Ralph's throat, making his face redden further. "Even if the plaza incident was a misunderstanding, was it also a misunderstanding that I was captured and taken to a laboratory—thanks to your trusted assistant?"
He could barely breathe.
"Explain what's going on before I lose my patience!"
"Laboratory? There is no laboratory left!" Ralph gasped, tapping frantically at the security indicator light beside him. "You know the project was terminated long ago! The system's already at Level 2... One more incident... and we'll be... taken to temporary detention..."
Arthur glanced at the blinking light, then released his grip and shoved Ralph's shoulder hard.
Freed from the chokehold, Ralph gasped for air, his flushed face quickly returning to normal. He straightened his crumpled tie and looked at Arthur with an innocent expression. "Phew—what on earth are you misunderstanding? God, you almost choked me to death. You wouldn't be stupid enough to attack here, would you?"
"If you don't explain, I'll have no hesitation in doing it again!"
Faced with Arthur's fierce glare, Ralph rubbed the back of his neck and twisted it slightly. "After you left, our dedicated communication system was sabotaged. It's clear whoever did this has a good understanding of our private operations—otherwise, it wouldn't be this difficult to fix. As we speak, the engineers are still working on repairing it."
"Oh? That's quite the excuse—I'm impressed!" Arthur shot him a sharp look and sat down across from him. "You could've come here to find me or contacted Encia. It wouldn't have been that hard for you, now would it?"
"Sigh! We've all had our difficulties—I hope you can understand."
"What exactly do you expect me to understand?"
"This isn't an excuse," Ralph insisted. "The Telos incident gave those in Parliament leverage—especially those who've been trying to take Blair down. They're monitoring our every move. My trip here isn't on any official itinerary—I even had a decoy to shake off a few watchers. If they find out about this, they won't let us off easily. Speaking of Zack—where is he? What exactly happened to you two?"
"Zack? Ha, I was about to ask you the same thing!" Arthur sneered, leaning forward and jabbing a finger at Ralph's chest. "He's your man—you should know better than anyone."
"Me? You both went off the grid—I have no idea!"
Arthur stared into Ralph's eyes. Something in his earnest, confused gaze made Arthur's anger subside slightly, replaced by frustration. "What were you thinking?" He frowned. "What made Zack so indispensable that you had to add him to the mission? Just as I thought—first you, then me. That guy was off from the start..."
"Off?" Ralph wore a rare troubled expression, pleading. "Come on—we've known each other for years. You should know I don't cut corners on missions. Tell me what happened. Why are you so furious with Zack?"
"Oh? No corners cut? Shall we revisit the Akropa mission?" Ralph's words reignited Arthur's anger, and he shot him a contemptuous look.
"That one was only slightly better than this disaster," Arthur snapped. "If I hadn't already known about that partner's bad reputation... I wish your sincerity was as genuine as you make it out to be! If I were his superior, my evaluation would be crystal clear—absolutely incompetent!"
"Come on, Arthur—don't be sarcastic. Please tell me the truth." Ralph grabbed Arthur's arms, pleading again. "Zack was a security officer on Telos and the most senior agent in the intelligence unit. He was truly the best candidate based on all assessments. I couldn't show you the actual appearance of that item, and I thought having him there would make your mission smoother."
"Ha, smoother?" Arthur glanced at him disdainfully, pushing his hands away and leaning back in his seat. "Thanks to your 'best candidate'..."
That sentence was the final straw. The memories weighing on Arthur's mind surged forth once more—uninvited, like a familiar ghost, creeping in and dragging him back to that moment...